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Saturday, September 15, 2012

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Study Guide, Part 1 with Web Links

Friends,

In our home school co-op, the 5th-6th English class that I teach is reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe from the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. We do about two chapters per week, and I am creating the study questions, writing assignments and activities as I go. There are 17 chapters in the book, and so far I have finished up through chapter 8. I'll post the other 9 chapters later on!

The study questions are a mix of simple recall and deeper reflection. Occasionally, I refer to vocabulary words, grammar, punctuation, or literary devices. Some of the writing assignments are geared for practical real life application, while others stimulate imagination and creativity. If you have study questions or writing assignments to suggest, please add them in a comment!

At the bottom of this post, I have included several links to other on-line study guides for this book. Some of them are suitable for older or younger children. Quite the smorgasbord! There is also a YouTube clip from the movie sound track. You may want to watch the movie after reading the book and discuss how things are different or the same between them.

The
Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Study
Questions and Writing Assignments

Part
1: Chapters 1-8

Chapter
1: Lucy Looks Into a Wardrobe

The
main elements of a story are the characters, the setting
(time and place), and the plot.

Characters

List
all of the characters mentioned in this chapter.

Match
the four children with these descriptions:

____________________
is sassy, grouchy and mocking.

____________________
is sentimental and nurturing.

____________________
is adventurous and intelligent leader.

____________________
is cautious but curious.

Settings

What
is the historical time period? In 1940-1941, during World War 2,
Nazi Germany bombed London and other British cities. Over 43,000
people died and 140,000 were injured. For their own safety,
thousands children were sent to live in the country with relatives,
friends, and even strangers. Author C.S. Lewis draws on his memories
of hosting refugee children in his country home as he writes this
book.

3.
List the three settings in this chapter.4.
What are some of things that the children find in the rooms?

Writing
Assignment

Imagine
that you could design a dream house that reflects your own interests.
It can be as large or as small as you want. Where will it be? What
will it look like on the outside? Describe each room in your house.
What will they be used for? What will they contain? Activity: Draw your dream house: what it looks like from the front, what one room looks like, a floor
plan. DownloadSketchUp for free and try designing a 3-D model of it.

Chapter
2: What Lucy Found There

Tumnus, the Faun, asks Lucy if
she is a Daughter of Eve? What does he mean by that? Why is Lucy
confused?

List the four different kinds
of forest creatures who live in Narnia.

What was Tumnus plotting when
he lured Lucy into his cave and lulled her to sleep with food,
stories, and flute playing?

What could be the consequence
if he did not carry through on his plan?

What are three ways we can
tell that Tumnus is remorseful and repentant?

Writing Assignment

Yesterday you wrote about a big
house you would like to live in. Today, you are going to write about
a small one. If you had an entire home to live in by yourself that
was as small as Tumnus's cave room, what would it be like? Make a
list of what would you need to live in your home and a few extra
things that you would want. What are some practical ways you could
“make do” in such a small space?

Activity:

Plan to invite a friend over for a simple meal or dessert. What will you serve? What activities will you do? Think about what you can do to make your guest feel welcome and comfortable.

Chapter
3: Edmund and the Wardrobe

Lucy thinks she has been gone
for “hours and hours” but her brothers and sister say they saw
her only a few minutes ago. Why?

What do her brothers and
sister think and do about what she has told them?

When Edmund apologizes to Lucy
for not believing her, is he showing true remorse? How do we know?

A “sledge” is another word
for sleigh, a vehicle that travels over the snow on runners. What
kind of animals are pulling the sleigh, and who is driving it?

Creative
Assignment

Draw a picture of the White
Witch, also known as the Queen of Narnia. Or create your own villain
or superhero and provide captions to describe what they can do.

Chapter
4: Turkish Delight

How are the White Witch's
inward attitudes different from her outer actions? What do we call
this?

How did the food and drink
appear?

Why did Edmund want more and
more Turkish Delight? How did this affect his ability to think
about what he was doing and saying?

After flattering him by
telling him how wonderful he is (when he actually isn't), what does
the White Witch promise Edmund, and what must he do to get what is
promised?

Why does the White Witch want
Edmund to keep it a secret?

Writing
Assignment

Write a paragraph about
something that a person your age might want to do or have more than
anything. Tell why this might become addictive (something they can't
seem to give up, even if they try) and what the consequences might be
if they continue to give in to this strong desire. How could they
overcome it?

Activity:

Buy some Turkish Delight (which you might find at a Middle Eastern grocery store) and serve with a hot drink.

Chapter
5: Back on This Side of the Door

“Go
on Edmund; tell them all about it.”
A semi-colon is used to separate sections of the sentence. A
semi-colon is stronger than a comma, but not as strong as a period.
Write your own sentence with a semi-colon.

Edmund
is acting really nasty in this chapter. What are some synonyms
(similar meaning words) of nasty
that are used in this chapter to describe Edmund and his actions?
(P.S. A word to compare how nasty something is is nastierand
someone who is the most nasty is called nastiest.
One
sentence also says that he gave a little snigger,
which
is a short mocking laugh.

Why did the Professor suggest
that Lucy might actually be telling the truth? Give at least three
reasons.

The Professor also suggests
only three possibilities about what Lucy is aying: that she is
lying, that she is mad, or that she is telling the truth. That may
be true in this situation, but in general life, there is actually a
fourth possibility. Someone can be sincerely mistaken after being
given misleading, confusing, or false information. They may not be
accurate, but they are not intentionally deceiving anyone or being
crazy. Tell of a time when this happened to you or someone you
know.

Why did all four children end
up going into the wardrobe in this chapter?

Writing
Assignment

The Professor suggests that
Lucy is more credible (believable) than Edmund. If you want people
to think that you are credible, what kind of character and actions do
you need to have? Name a fairy tale or other commonly known story
where someone lacked credibility? Why? What was the result?

Chapter
6: Into the Forest

What did the children discover
at the Faun's home?

What is the “Queen's”
first name?

What is Lucy's response when
Susan says they should go home? What does this say about her
character?

How did the children know
which way to go to look for Tumnus?

Writing
Assignment

In one paragraph, describe
something that you have had to do that required risk or extra effort.
What was the result?

Chapter
7: A Day with the Beavers

Anthropomorphism
is when an animal, plant, or deity is given human characteristics,
behavior and language. Anthro
means human
and morph
means change.
List
all of the animals and plants that act like humans in this chapter,
and tell what they can do. Be as complete and as specific as you
can, thinking especially of things that humans can do that animals
and plants can't.

List
your three favorite animal characters that act like humans in other
stories. Each one should be from a different story or series.
(Disney movies are a good source for this!)

Body
language
is an important part of communication, sometimes even more important
than the actual words that you say. What did Mr. Beaver communicate
by his gestures?

What
object did Mr. Beaver give to the four children to gain their trust?

2
Corinthians 2:14-16a says, “But
thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession
in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the
knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ
among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.To
the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance
of life.”
Thinking about those verses, why do you think
each of the children subconsciously reacted in a different way to
the mention of Aslan's name? You may have to ponder this question a
little bit, or ask a parent for help.

What
do you think Edmund was thinking when he saw the two little hills?

List
five things that the children ate or drank at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Beaver. Which of these would you most enjoy?

Writing
Assignment:

The
author compares the children's reaction to the mention of Alsan's
name to being in the middle of a dream and not understanding the
details but somehow still grasping the significance of it. Write about an
interesting, funny, or confusing dream or a nightmare that you
remember. Do you think there was any meaning to it? For example,
had you been thinking or wishing or worrying about something, and
then dreamed about it?Activity:Demonstrate body language with your gestures and facial expressions to show that you are angry, happy, sad, excited, confused, or that you want to be left alone. Or play Charades!

Chapter
8: What Happened After Dinner

What does Mr. Beaver think
happened to Tumnus the Faun, and what does he say is the only hope
for rescuing him?

Copy the poem that Mr. Beaver
quotes about Aslan.

How do Mrs. and Mr. Beaver
each reply when Lucy asks if Aslan is safe?

Where will the children meet
Aslan?

What is the prophecy about the
Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve?

Why did Mr. Beaver think that
Edmund had betrayed them to the White Witch?

What is the most immediate
danger at the end of the chapter?

Writing
Assignment:

Write
a factual paragraph about beavers. Include an introduction sentence,
one sentence each about what beavers look like, where they live, and
what they eat, and then a concluding sentence.

Activity:Play theStatuesgame -- all you need is four players and some space to move around!

Virginia Knowles

Welcome to Continue Well!

Welcome to the Continue Well middle school education blog! I, Virginia Knowles, write most of the articles on it. Our goal is to equip and encourage those who are teaching in the middle school years, whether at home or in a traditional classroom. Many of the posts are from material I have used in my home school, co-op, and private school classrooms over the years.Many blessings to you and yours!

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